The Seventy Fifth Hunger Games
by laxgoal31
Summary: Primrose's POV. This year, there will definitely be no rule change about two possible victors. This time, at least one, most likely two, of the people Katniss holds most dear in her life is going to die. Prim...or Gale. SEQUEL IS UP! GO READ AND REVIEW IT
1. Double Misfortune

**All rights reserved to Suzanne Collins; I do not own the Hunger Games. Please read, review, and enjoy.**

When I wake up, the sun shining brightly through my window. It is a beautiful day outside. This belies the feeling that I feel in the pit of my stomach, for it is Reaping Day. The Reaping Day that will decide the contestants of the 75th Hunger Games. Although the odds are astronomical that I will be chosen, those odds sure didn't help last year. The only thing that saved me was Katniss and her selfless volunteering. She is not allowed to compete again, so it's all I can do to hope not to be picked.

Well, since Katniss won the Hunger Games last year along with Peeta, life has been sweet. About a week last year after the end to the Games, we moved into our wonderful new home in the Victor's Village. It's amazing. We receive about 2 weeks worth of food every week in a form of a deliveryman who even comes inside the house to put it way. We are never hungry, in fact, Mother has even gotten a little on the heavy side. All of the rooms are decorated with the finest things, such as classic paintings, or the most splendid china. The furniture is the most plush I have ever felt in my entire life. Who knew that my being called last year would be the event that would change our lives for the better, not worse?

Over the past year, Katniss has not let her skills diminish. She still sneaks out to the woods with Gale to hunt, more for pleasure now rather than food. Gale's family never hungry either, because we always share our surplus of food with them. Basically, I live a charmed and spoiled life. And you know what? I'm loving it.

I guess the only drawback to living in the Victor's Village would be the neighbors, the Mellark family and Haymitch Abernathy. Katniss confided in us how she and Peeta faked their romance only so they would both live. Well actually, it was only Katniss who faked it, which is why she and Peeta barely speak anymore. It makes me sad to see this, because I can tell they still both have feelings for each other, but they can never voice them out loud to each other. Gale is still Katniss' best friend; though I feel he cares about her more than a friend should, but no matter. It's none of my business.

So, on this Reaping Day, a large chariot arrives to chauffeur us to the square, where the Reaping will take place. All of the residents squeeze into the chariot, and off we go. We are all required to attend, me as one of the possible tributes, and the other as the victors and their family. When we arrive, we are greeted with a rousing chorus of applause. Another good ting about being related to a Hunger Games victor: everybody loves you. Well, I was loved before anyway actually (so modest, right?) I figure the applause is probably more for my family rather than the other two victors and their families because our family periodically shares our food intake with the community. This means a lot to the people.

Anyway, I take my position with other children my age, thirteen. I'm a teenager now. From my position, I look at Katniss who is sitting on her victor's chair up on stage with Haymitch on her right and Peeta on her left. I give her a reassuring smile, for you see, she still has two people she deeply cares about in danger, Gale and I, at risk of being chosen in the Reaping.

We are at risk because of two new rule changes. No one really knows why the Capitol decided to expand the age limit from twelve to nineteen. Some put it down to the tough times, or the way they got showed up last year at the Hunger Games. Maybe they did it to remind the Districts that they are still in total control. But as a result of this, Gale is eligible for one more year. And the odds are not in his favor, because even though he hasn't had to apply for tessarae this past year, his entries the previous years have added up still enough that he stands a good chance of being picked.

As for the rule that affects me, it states that if somebody volunteers for a person that has been selected, the selcted person is eligible to be re-selected. Those new rules came into effect this past year, and were imposed on all children within the age limit, regardless of past years. That's why Katniss is so worried.

I turn my attention back to the onstage proceedings. The mayor has just finished his speech, and it is time to begin the selection. The difference from last year is, there is no Haymitch to stumble onstage, terribly drunk and late. The past year, he still drinks in moderation, but has cleaned up his act somewhat. I guess helping two tributes survive in one year has given him a sort of hope for the next Games to come. Effie Trinket, who despite her wishes, has not been promoted to another district, starts the show by saying "Ladies first!" She then proceeds to one of the glass balls, and selects a name.

Her face changes from an expression of smiles to on of pure shock. She sputters, "Well. I'd never thought I'd actually call a name out twice at Reapings; it's never happened before, but here we go! Primrose Everdeen, come on up!"

My heart stops. How can she sound so enthusiastic about it? What were the odds? I had two names in. Just two! Last year I only had one! What is wrong with the world? Why does fate have to be so damn eager to kill me? The crowd is murmuring; it sounds totally in disbelief. My heart is pounding, but I can't refuse. Who knows what the Capitol would do to the District if I refused? I begin to make my way onstage.

From her position onstage, Katniss cries out in desperation, "Wait! I volunteer instead!"

Effie says, "Sorry, dear. You know you can't. Hunger Games victors are not allowed to participate in the Games again."

A voice in the crowd says "She may not be able to volunteer. But I can."

The crowd steps apart to reveal Gale. He stares directly at Katniss and says with a sure voice that must be the opposite of how he is feeling, "I volunteer as male tribute. I'll keep her safe, Katniss. No matter what."

My heart fills with gratitude. At least I will have one ally for the Games, even though now Gale is in the same jeopardy that I am in. Selfish, right?

I peek at Katniss. Her eyes are brimming over with tears. She's about to lose it. You see, this year, there will definitely be no rule change about two possible victors. This time, at least one, probably two, of the people she holds most dear in her life are going to die.

**Other stories of mine: From The Other Side, Sharp As A Knife, The Boy With The Bread, The Hunger Games Premiere.**


	2. Revenge

**Hope you are liking the story so far!**

Awful. That's one word to describe this situation. Here I sit on the train, staring out the window, alone, just thinking. My mother in tears as we said goodbye, because she knows that I don't stand the slightest chance, not like Katniss did. I'm a fast runner, and can recognize edible and poisonous plants and berries. Katniss and Gale have shared that knowledge with me in the past year. But still, I could never shoot anything or kill anyone. It's not my nature. It's not who I am. And if I have to participate in the Hunger Games, I'd like to stay true to myself before I die.

Katniss and Gale come in from the other room. They must have been talking. Katniss looks at both of us with a new-found inner strength in her eyes and says: "Ok. I can't even explain to you both of you how much I love you both. I have to try and train you both the best I can so at least one of survives. And that's the brutal, harsh truth. Both of you are not coming back from this. In all likelihood, probably neither are you are. But I swear on my father's grave, I will do all in my power to see that at least one of you make it back to District 12."

Gale puts his arm around Katniss, and pulls her to him. She responds like a drowning man clutching on to a life vest, and grabs him as though she will never let go. She's not even going into the games, I think to myself, and she's this torn up? I know she's my sister, but she's got to get it together.

Just then, Haymitch and Peeta come in. It's been decided that Katniss will act as my mentor, Peeta as Gale's, with Haymitch stepping in to help out both of them. Probably he'll be stopping the fights between Gale and Peeta more than actually helping us train for the Games. From the look of those two, they're about to go at it with tooth and nail any second now over Katniss' affections. Well, at least it'll provide me with some entertainment before I die in the arena.

I can see now the train is slowing. We're reaching the Capitol. The last thing Haymitch says is "Whatever your prep team and stylist do to you, don't resist." Then he walks off to the bar.

In the Remake Center. I have the same prep team as Katniss did last year: Flavius, Venia, and Octavia. There is actually very little to prep me for, seeing as how I have access to a multiple number of cosmetic products back home in the Victor's Village. Thank you, Katniss. Soon, my stylist, Cinna enters. He was Katniss' stylist last year as well. The first thing he says to me is, "So. You're Katniss' sister. I can see some of the resemblance, only you're twice as beautiful."

I remember Katniss saying how kind Cinna was "Why, thank you," I reply.

He says "Well, it's my job to make you look as stunning as possible. We can't go with the fire look because we did that last year, but guess what? We're going to focus on the mining aspect of your District 12 this year. What can one mine besides coal?

This is how I find myself dressed in an all black dress, studded with silver and gold jewels, on the chariot as it prepares to go down the runway for the opening ceremonies of the Games. Well he has a point, you also mine minerals. That's where the name "mine" comes from right? Whatever. Beside me, Gale is decked out in a similar outfit. However, we are not holding hands, thankfully. That'd be somewhat awkward, with me and Gale being six years apart. From the crowd's reactions, I can tell we are making a big splash. Perhaps not as big last our District's splash last year, but oh well. Still a big splash.

The first day of training rolls around quickly. I walk in, and am greeted by "Are you Primrose Everdeen?" These words are spoken hostilely by a large boy, who bears a resemblance to someone that I cannot place.

"Yes," I reply.

The boy's face twists into a sneer. "I'm Castor, Cato Otoru's older brother from District 2. Lucky for you, the expanding of the age limit gave me another year to play in the Games and to avenge my brother. Guess what Primrose? You're first on my kill list." And with that, he walks away.

That's the face. He looks almost exactly like Cato, who was pretty much my sister's rival last year. Swell, I think to myself. I'm not even in the arena yet and I've already got an enemy.

Anyway, despite the rough start, the rest of the day passes uneventfully. The stations I mostly attended were the non-weapon ones, such as plant knowledge, knots, and camouflage. I'm no good with weapons; these skills are probably what will help me the most. This is how I spend the three training days, brushing up on the undervalued skills. Hey, it worked for Katniss, right? Why not me?

At the end of the third day, Gale went into his session with the Gamemakers first. He spent time at those stations with me, but he had also went to the archery station quite often. He's decent with a bow, amazing with snares, and alright with a knife. He's also very strong. I imagine that he will do quite well.

Then it is my turn. I show the Gamemakers my prowess with plants, knots, and camouflage. I also show them how fast I can run. No weapons at all. I know that this will not impress them too much, and I know I am getting a low score. Big deal.

No sooner have I walked into District 12's sitting room back on my floor after the session is over when Katniss comes rushing up to me crying and saying at the same time, "I'm sorry Prim! I'm so, so sorry! I got you into this mess, I'm sorry!"

"What are you talking about," I ask, confused.

Haymitch comes up behind her and with these simple words blow my mind away:

"The Capitol has finally had its revenge on your sister, after a year. We just found out that every one of those slips of paper in that glass ball at the Reaping was fixed to have your name on them, Prim."


	3. Triple Surprise

**Thanks to all those who reviewed so far. I also edited the first two chapters a little bit to fix up some mistakes. Read and review!**

I'm shell-shocked. I can think of about a million and one questions to ask, but I pick perhaps the most detached one: "How did you come by this information?"

Haymitch replies, "I have some friends in high places here in the Capitol. But these orders to make sure you were selected as a tribute came directly from President Snow."

So the leader of the entire country wants to kill me even though he has never even met me or even knows what I am like? What a great example of our wonderful nation.

Haymitch says, "I'm going to tell Gale and Peeta this. They have a right to know. Other than that, this information stays in this room. If we threatened to expose the Capitol, something worse would only happen." And with that, he leaves the room, leaving me alone with Katniss.

We just look at each other for a minute, and then rush into each other's arms. We just stay like that, holding each other, until it is time to view the training scores of all of the tributes.

As usual, the Career Tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4 score within the eight-ten range. Castor, my apparent nemesis, however, scores an eleven! Eleven! I definitely have a powerful enemy, that's for sure.

A couple of other tributes who stand out in my mind include the District 8 boy, who despite his gaunt and feeble looks, scores a nine. Also, the District 11 girl, there's something about her…..I can't put my finger on it. Anyway, she scores a seven, not bad.

Then it's Gale's turn. Oh my. Eleven! Gale scored an eleven too! Two elevens in one year is unheard of! Our District 12 group is going wild for him. Then I come up. Twelve! No, only kidding; I score half of that, a six. That's a lot better than I thought I was going to do, that's for sure.

It's now the day of the opening interviews. It's been decided that my strategy will be to appear as a small, humble girl. Katniss and Haymitch say that this is my natural image anyway, and that it will work out great. And to top it all off, I'm wearing the most gorgeous dress I have ever seen. It's the total opposite of my dress on the night of the opening ceremonies; now I am dressed in gold and silver, studded with black jewels meant to represent coal. I'm simply stunning!

So Caesar Flickerman starts the interviews, and I only pay fleeting attention to them. District 12 is last (of course), and there is plenty of time for my mind to wander. I note that Castor however, is just like his brother in the fact that he seems like a ruthless killer. He must be a Capitol's clone sent to torment me as further revenge on Katniss, I think to myself. However, I'm pretty much staring off into space until the District 11 girl comes up. She makes me sit up and take notice, because of one of the first questions that Caesar asks:

"So, Tayla, you're the sister of one of our contestants last year, Thresh Lysiri. In fact, you, Castor, and Primrose Everdeen, who we will be getting to shortly, are all siblings of contestants last year. You three are quite the talk of the Capitol. Do you think your bloodline gives you an advantage in these Games, Tayla?

WHAT!?? Another sibling! What the hell is this? Why didn't I hear about this earlier if I'm 'the talk of the Capitol'? Well, this year's Games will certainly be dramatic. I look over at the three mentors. Their eyes are downcast, and they are all avoiding my gaze. They kept it from me! How dare they!

The rest of Tayla's interview passes quickly, but I pay no attention. All I can think about is the implications of this. Somewhere in the middle of the male District 11 tribute's interview, I calm down and realize this is actually a good thing. I remember what Katniss told me about Thresh letting her go in the middle of Games. Maybe I can get this Tayla to join the District 12 alliance that me and Gale have. I realize that Katniss and the others only had my best interests at heart; that's why they kept this from me. Maybe they thought I would lose focus on the upcoming Games. Then before I know it, it's my turn to be interviewed.

"Well, Primrose, I feel as though I know you already, having heard Katniss talk about you last year at her interview. She was only here because she volunteered in your place. And I understand this year; somebody did that of sorts, when your fellow tribute here promised to keep you out of harm's way. We'll be getting to him in a second, but I'd like to know now, what's it like to be the recipient of such love and concern?

This is it. Game face on. "Well, I wish that neither of them had done so," I say. "I don't want people putting themselves on the line for me; I'm nobody special. But people make their own choices and decisions, and nothing I can do will ever change that."

"Let's think back to last year then, when your sister was a contestant in the Games. What was going through your mind as you watched her compete?"

"I remember I was awfully worried for her," I reply. "I thought that it was my fault that she was there in the first place, and I was so afraid for her, probably even more afraid than she was for herself." The crowd lets out a collective sound of "aww." "Thank goodness she came home safely," I add.

"Well, nobody can volunteer in your place this year. How are you feeling about competing in the upcoming Hunger Games, knowing that this time, it's definitely going to happen?

I take a long pause and then come out with a simple, "I'm ready." Right after I say this, the buzzer goes off. My three minutes are up. Caesar says, "Sorry, we're out of time. Best of luck Primrose Everdeen, tribute from District 12."

Then it is Gale's turn. Even though he is garbed in an all black outfit designed to make him look more powerful, he comes across as the white knight in shining armor, dashing onto the scene to save me from the terrible clutches of the Hunger Games. Katniss was known and loved last year; as her sister I am now known and loved; and Gale having volunteered to try and protect me makes him practically the king of being known and loved. Gale does well in his interview as well, and just like that, all of the interviews are over.

Back in District 12's main room, there is much cause for celebration. According to Haymitch, Gale and I should get a decent amount of sponsors. As the sister of one of the victors last year, being so small and pretty and lovable (hey, it's coming from somebody else, which makes it not conceited), people will be falling over themselves to sponsor me.

As for Gale, his score of eleven, coupled with his volunteering for me, will win him sponsors as well. However, the thought of sponsors does not even cheer me up all that much. Because tomorrow, the Games begin.


	4. Goodbye

**Thanks to all who have reviewed up to this point. Read, review, enjoy!**

We're sitting out on the roof now, staring out at the Capitol. Isn't it funny how such a beautiful city houses such corruption and evil? Gale and I have already said our goodbyes to Peeta, Haymitch, and the rest, but now we must say goodbye to Katniss. This will be the hardest of all things.

Katniss first says to us, "I have something for each of you. Your District tokens." She first hands me a carved wooden object. It looks like a type of flower. "This is a primrose flower, Prim. May it bring you the best of luck and remind yourself of who you truly are."

Her stories from last year come into mind, and I remember that her ally from last year, Rue, had a token similar to this one. "You got this idea from Rue, didn't you?" I ask softly.

She doesn't respond, but the faraway look in her eyes tells me the answer that I already know.

She continues, "Gale, I'd like you to have this." She hands him her mockingjay pin that she won the Games with last year. "May fortune smile on you as well," she says.

Gale says, "I sure hope it will."

Katniss says, "Alright, we need to talk a little strategy. When the opening gong sounds, Prim, you run for cover, but stay somewhat near the Cornucopia. Gale, you'll run in and grab whatever you can, but no heroics at all. None. If there's the slightest hint of trouble, bang out of there fast, got it?"

"Got it," says Gale.

Katniss keeps going with her lecture, "When Gale has gotten all he can, he'll run and join you, Prim. Make sure you stay somewhat visible to him. Then, you two run away together quickly, and find a source of water. After that, well…you're on your own."

Her eyes lock on me first. "Prim, I love you more than anything on the world. In fact, you are my world. It kills me that I won't be able to protect you in there, but I trust Gale with my life. You'll be ok if you stay with him. But if anything at all happens, know that I love you with my entire heart." Throughout this whole thing, her voice has gotten a little shaky, and her eyes are watering.

My eyes are about to start brimming over with tears, too. My throat has locked up in sadness. All I can get out in return is a simple, "I love you, Katniss."

She turns to Gale, "Gale, I..." She trails off as he kisses her full on the lips. This lasts for a good minute. I look away, back towards the horizon to give them a little privacy. This is one thing I sure hope Peeta doesn't find out about, that's all I can say. Personally, I prefer Gale anyway.

After they finally break apart, we all come together for a giant group hug. How long this lasts, I cannot say. Then in unspoken agreement, we turn back to go inside for a final, feeble attempt at sleep.

Now I'm standing on my metal circle, waiting to be released for the Games. From the initial view, this arena looks kind of similar to the one last year, only around the Cornucopia; there is a body of water. I guess you could call it a moat. All of the good supplies and weapons are inside the ring of water, while the less important ones are outside. Woods surround us, but I also see a series of ponds in one area. It can't be called a lake, but if they were all touching, it most definitely would be one. That will probably be the area where the Careers make their base, I think to myself.

Now I'm looking around at the tributes, gauging whether each will fight or run. Most look like they're gearing up for a run at the Cornucopia. From across the plain, Castor meets my gaze and gives me a sneer. What a nice guy. I give him my most mischievous, widest smile in return. My smile is almost immediately wiped away as the gong rings out to officially begin the seventy fifth Hunger Games.

I do as Katniss says. I run for cover behind the first tree I see, only stopping to grab a couple of loaves from bread from off of the ground. I make it behind the tree, and turn around to assess the situation back at the Cornucopia. I see Gale struggling with a boy for a pack. Gale quickly overpowers him, hoists the pack onto his back, and runs for a pair of knives lying on the ground. He's doing good so far, I think to myself. I step out from behind my tree, and signal to him. He grabs the knives, looks around to try and find me, sees where I am, and takes off towards me.

I think to myself, "He's doing really well; he's off to a great start. We're going to be fine." I start running forward to meet him.

Gale has just reached the moat when the spear pierces his body.


	5. Twelve

**Thanks to all of my reviewers. Sorry for the cliffhanger at the end of last chapter; I just couldn't resist. Here we go, read and review!**

I gasp. Oh no. Not Gale.

I close the remaining gap between us, splashing through the moat. Gale has crumpled to the ground by this time. I can see the wound is not fatal just yet; the spear has embedded in his top left shoulder. But it will be fatal if I don't do something, quick. At least he has the sense not to pull it out right away.

I reach Gale, and look past him to try and identify the spear thrower.

It's Castor. Who else?

He picks up another spear, and chucks it at me this time. Reflex takes over, and I duck sharply. But the spear still finds a body. It impales the Career girl from District 2, who I guess had been sneaking up on us to finish us off. She gives a deafening scream, and falls to the ground, dead.

I look over at Castor. He loses it, and starts running around, yelling his brains out. I try to think rationally. This is our chance to make a break for it. All of the other tributes are either fleeing or fighting each other. Nobody is paying any attention to us now. I say, "Gale c'mon. We gotta get out of here."

He says with a pained voice, "No. I can't. I can't go on. You go, Prim."

No! He can't do this! "No, Gale!" I scream. "You can't die now! You promised!" I think back to last night. "You can't let Katniss see you like this! Do it for Katniss! For Katniss!"

I've pushed the right button. He lurches up. "Katniss!" he yells. "Let's go, Prim!"

I grab the two knives from him, stuff them and the two loaves of bread I had previously grabbed in the pack we got, and get up as well. I put one arm around Gale to support him as we begin to make our way out of the Cornucopia. We look like a pair of twins joined together (I think they called that Siamese twins back in the ancient times) as we run and hobble through the ring of water and into the surrounded woods.

After about twenty minutes of this, the adrenaline starts wearing off for both of us. Gale collapses to the ground again, in tremendous pain. I lean him up against a tree. Ok. Time to see just how many sponsors we have.

I say loudly in a clear voice, "We need a first aid kit capable of treating Gale's wound. He will die without it."

I don't have long to wait. Soon, a silver parachute comes floating down to land in front of me. I tear open the contents of the basket inside. It contains large bandages, gauze, compresses, pain relievers, and swabs such as alcohol. I bring the first aid kit over to Gale and say, "Ready? I'm going to fix you up."

He doesn't even have the strength to respond. "On the count of three," I say. "1, 2, 3!" I pull the spear out of his shoulder.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screams.

Blood starts pumping out. Now, I'm feeling a little squeamish. Ok, really squeamish. Can't lose my head, though. I immediately apply pressure to the wound with my compresses. When one becomes too blood-soaked, I simply put another one over it. For how long this lasts, I cannot say. I'm down to my last two compresses when I notice the bleeding has finally abated to the degree where I can put a bandage on it. I remove the compresses, swab the wound, and put a humongous bandage on it. This is the most basical first aid one can give, but hopefully, it will be enough.

I didn't look at Gale throughout this whole process; I was afraid of what his facial expression might be. Right now, he's looking better than he was before, that's for sure. "Here," I say. I hold out some pain reliever pills. "Take these."

He does so, without water. Not that we have any to begin with. I stuff the remainder of the bandages, compress, gauze, pills, and swabs that we have left into the pack. I hoist it back onto my shoulders. "Ready to move on?" I ask.

Gale says, "No. But we have to, don't we?"

"Yeah," I say.

"Ok," he says. "And Prim? Thanks for patching me up. My left arm feels really sore, and I probably won't be able to use it for a while, but it's a lot worse then death. I owe you my life."

"You would've done the same for me," I reply. "Besides, be grateful it's only the first day. That stuff would've cost a lot more if it was later on in the game. I just hope we didn't use up all of our sponsors already."

"Hope so too," he replies. Then we set off.

We jog at a steady pace for about three hours, stopping occasionally for breaks. We are both keeping our eyes peeled for any sight of water. After what seems like an eternity, we come to a small pond.

We stop, and I take out the pack to see what exactly we have inside of it. Besides the first aid supplies, and the two knives, our supplies entail a thin black sleeping bag, a package of nuts, a bag of dried fruit, a pack of iodine tablets, two cans of ham, a half-gallon plastic water bottle (bone-dry of course), and this is the best: a pair of night-vision glasses! Excellent, not bad at all!

Just then, I hear cannon shots ring out: 1, 2, 3…12! The fighting at the Cornucopia must have finally stopped. Half of the tributes dead...I feel bad for them and their familes. It's just not fair. I wonder if anyone of interest has died.

Anyway, we pour the pond water into the water bottle, and put some iodine tablets inside. We wait the proper amount of time, and then drink greedily. We repeat this process about three times. By this time, night is falling. We need to find a place to stay.

I say, "You can't make it up a tree with that arm, can you?"

"Afraid not," he says.

"Fine," I say. "I think I see some caves over there. Let's go check it out."

So we go to where I had indicated. It is a cave, and a large one at that. It is surrounded by rocks and other debris. I say, "Get inside, Gale." He does so, and I start to camouflage the opening. Good thing I worked on this skill before the Games started. Night begins to fall.

When I have just finished, the anthem begins to play. I pay careful attention to the sky, to see who will appear. I know that twelve are dead. The first to appear is the District 1 boy. Then the District 2 girl that Castor killed by accident. Both from 3. The girl from 5…so now the Career pack has only four members. Both from 6 and 7. The girl from 8…that boy who made a nine must have survived. The boy from 10. The boy from 11 is the last to appear. So Tayla made it as well. I wonder if she's going solo or what now that her fellow tribute is dead.

I go inside the cave, and me and Gale eat a can of ham each out of the pack. Gale insists on letting me have the sleeping bag as long as I give him my jacket. We decide that none of us need to take watch, seeing as the Careers will be far away because they fought it out at the Cornucopia, and I am confident in my camouflage skills. So with these sleeping arrangements, we immediately drop off into a sweet slumber.

I am woken up in the morning by two cannon shots. I wonder who has died. I decide to go gather some edible plants and such as to surprise Gale when he wakes up. Funny how I'm the one sort of taking care of him, not the other way around, huh?

So I walk for about ten minutes, until I come to a sandy patch. Across the sandy patch is a copse of plants; they look edible from here. I take my first step onto the sandy patch and realize my mistake when I start to sink.

Quicksand! Crap! I'm going down, there is nothing to grab onto. I'm going to die. I knew I shouldn't have come out here without backup. But just before my head goes under, I take a deep breath and stick my hands up. Last chance.

About a second later, I feel someone grab my hands and start to pull me up. My addled brain is thinking, "Gale! He came to save me somehow!"

But when my head breaches the surface and I am pulled onto dry land, I see who my rescuer is. It's not Gale.

It's Tayla.


	6. Told You So

**Ok, this is the longest chapter yet. Hopefully the best; I don't know. That's for you to decide, so make sure you review!**

My first thought is one of gratitude.

I say, "Oh my! Thank you. Thank you! You saved my life!" Now my mind is suspicious. "But why?"

Tayla looks at me and says sarcastically, "Well, we're appreciative, aren't we?"

I sputter, "Well...I…I mean…why would you do this?"

She says, "Are you dumb or do you just look it? My partner was killed at the Cornucopia. I want you and your friend to be my partners in an alliance. But mostly him, to be honest with you."

Ignoring her barbs I say, "Alright. Saving my life is good enough for me. I'll take you back to where Gale is. But first, I came here to get some edible plants, and I will. You can help."

"Fine," she says.

So we go to where I had seen the plants (avoiding the sand this time of course!) and I gather up those I recognize as edible. I put them in the pack I had brought, and then Tayla produces her own pack and stuffs some more in there as well. Interesting.

"You have a pack too? What else is in there?" I ask.

She says, "Not much. I ate all of the food that was in it. But I still have a sleeping bag, a canteen, some rope, and a pair of night-vision goggles. "

"Wait, what's that?" I ask. I have spotted something she has been holding, almost as if she was hiding it.

"Oh, this?" she asks. "This is a bow and arrow set."

"Wow!" I exclaim. "How did you manage to get your hands on that at the Cornucopia?"

Am I imagining it or does she look slightly nervous? Anyway, she goes, "Well, what can I say, I'm a fast runner."

I giggle and say, "Bet you can't beat me back to camp."

She laughs and says, "Really? Alright, you're on."

So we take off, her following me of course. I suppose I have the unfair advantage of knowing where the base is at. So when we stumble in the cave, panting, I say, "Beat you."

She just gives me a smile.

By this time, Gale has woken up. I say, "Gale! This is Tayla, from District 11. She's joining our side to help us against the Careers."

He looks at me and says bluntly, "Can we trust her?"

I say, "She saved my life. That's good enough for me."

Gale doesn't bother to ask how exactly she saved my life, he just says, "Well, that's good enough for me, too. Only, Prim? Don't go out again without me."

"Count on it," I say.

After this, we all go outside. Gale borrows Tayla's bow and arrows and goes off to hunt. We each promise not to stray too far from the cave, and to yell if we are attacked.

Me and Tayla go off a distance and continue to gather up some roots, while I show her the sort that is safe to eat. And this is how I come to find out that Tayla is the oldest child (of course after her brother Thresh died last year) of her family. She has a younger sister, and a father. However Tayla is the main bread-winner, as she does what she can to support the family. Sometimes sneaking a little food out of the orchards where she works, making shrewd trades with merchants, and sacrificing her own food at times for the good of her younger sister. You know, she sort of reminds me of Katniss. Sarcastic at times, good-natured at times, and she even has a bow and arrows.

So after our hunting and gathering is done for the day, we meet back at the cave and begin to fix up a meal. We build the tinniest, tiniest of fires and cook the squirrels over them. After they are done, we quickly quench the fire and scatter the wood. Our meal consists of those two squirrels, some of the roots, and one of the loaves of bread. After this Tayla goes to sleep, while me and Gale keep careful watch outside for any sign of the Careers.

I say, "I wonder what she's been doing. She's pretty tuckered out."

Gale says thoughtfully, "Yeah…are you sure she's trustworthy?"

I say indignantly, "Yes! She's wonderful. In fact, she reminds of Katniss."

He replies, "Prim…I think she's the farthest you can get from Katniss. If it's important to you, I'll let it drop. But I'm going to have my eye on her."

"Fine," I say. I remember something. "Oh, and how's your arm?" I ask.

"It's better," he says. "I can move it somewhat around. I was able to hunt today, wasn't I?"

We sit there in silence for a long while, each of us lost in our own thoughts. Night begins to fall, and the anthem plays. I had only heard two cannons shots today, those two that had woke me up in the morning. The two faces in the sky are the two District 9 tributes. I can't help feeling a pang of sadness about them, and I wonder if it was the Careers who got them.

After the anthem, we go back inside. Tayla is just waking up, and Gale says, "Good. You can take first watch of the night."

"Ok," she says.

I am woken up about two hours later by someone roughly shaking my shoulder. Probably Tayla, changing the watch shift. But no, it's Gale.

"Get up! Quickly! We must flee from here!"

I'm still half-asleep. "Whaaa?" I mumble.

"Tayla is gone! She must have betrayed us! The Careers are probably coming soon. We must go!"

I grab the pack and then I spot something. "Gale, look! Tayla must have thought that we weren't going to wake up, and that she could come back here with the Careers. She left her supplies here!"

We quickly transfer the contents of her pack into ours, me putting on our original pair of night-vision goggles and Gale donning Tayla's, and I sling the pack on my shoulders. Gale grabs the bow and arrows. With that, we set off at a run out of the cave.

And not a moment too soon. The instant we get out of the cave, we hear sets of feet running after us. I glance quickly over my shoulder and there they are. All four Careers. The District 1 girl, Castor, and both District 4 tributes. No Tayla, though. Interesting. They all let out a whoop at the spotting of their prey.

Ok now, I'm scared. But I say, "Gale, c'mon. I know a way. Just don't step in the sand."

So I lead him towards that sand patch from the day before. We skirt right next to it, hoping that one of the Careers will misstep into it. And one of them does.

A hear a blood-curdling scream. Then I hear Castor (I know his voice) say, "Leave him. Keep on the chase.

So the District 4 boy must have fallen into the sand. And the other three are just going to keep going. That's cold. Real cold. I probably feel worse about it than they do.

But in the end, simple speed saves us. We get far enough ahead of them, and then dive into bushes. I can hear them stop near us, and then Castor says, "They must have doubled back. C'mon, this way!" And they run back the way we came from.

We wait for about ten minutes, just to make sure the coast is clear. Then we run pell-mell in the opposite way they went. After about an hour of this, I notice the land is becoming rockier rather than leafy. We burst out of the trees into the shadow of a gigantic mountain. We take cover behind some rocks that protrude outwards and stop to catch our breath.

I first say, "Whew. Close one."

Gale responds bitterly, "Yeah. But we have Tayla to thank for it. You know, she was probably in league with the Careers the whole time. That's how she got the bow and arrows. The Careers let her have it probably because none of them can use them. As for the pack, she must have grabbed it before she hooked up with them."

"You don't have to rub it in my face, Gale," I say. Then I continue. "But she can't be all bad, I mean, she waited an entire day before she brought the Careers on us. And she saved my life."

"Prim, it's because she wanted you to lead her to me. With my eleven, the Careers must think I'm a major threat."

I respond, "Yeah, but, even after that, she waited an entire day. I wonder why.

"I don't know, and I don't care," he says. "All I know is that I've gotta rest now."

"Me too," I say.

So we just sit there for a while, catching our breath at the bottom of the mountain. We had filled our water bottle up, and from the looks of it, Tayla had filed hers up also. Her supplies will serve us well, as we now have a sleeping bag, a canteen, and a pair of night-vision glasses each. We have just put everything else back in the pack when I hear it.

It starts softly, and then it gets louder. "Oh no," I think.

Avalanche.


	7. Unfair

**Thanks as always for my faithful reviewers out there. I kind of rushed to get this chapter up, hope it doesn't show too much. And by the way, make sure you check out the story Every Monster Has A Creator, by Eclipse of the Heart1.**** It's really good! And hopefully, so is this chapter, so review! Please!**

I can't believe it.

Why must the world and the Capitol in particular have to want to kill me so bad? If I ever make it out of here and run into the Gamemaker who just pressed his finger on that button that caused this avalanche to happen…well…

"Gale! Avalanche! We have to go!" I scream.

He grabs his bow and arrows and I grab the pack and we set off. We were at the base of the mountain, pretty close to it, so we have a long way to go. Once we reach the forest we will be safe.

It was all just so surreal. I'm making my way away from the mountain, head down, rocks falling all around me. A thunderous sound in my ear all the while. Rock chips were flying everywhere; I was getting cut multiple times all over my body. With a glance to my side, I can see Gale was not doing much better. And then a hit from a rock on my back sends me sprawling onto the ground. I was a sitting duck for any more rocks that could end my life if they hit me in the head. I could be buried.

I can just barely hear Gale saying, "Prim! Get up! We're almost there!"

I didn't want to get up. I didn't care anymore. I didn't care if I died. But Gale's last words somehow reach my brain and I glance up. The forest is about only fifteen yards away!

I feel Gale pulling me up. I don't let go of his hand, and he leads me the last few yards into the forest. Once inside, we don't stop running though for a while. After about a half hour of running, we stop for a break.

"Wow. Helluva night, huh? First we get betrayed by an 'ally', then chased by Careers, and now almost killed by an avalanche. I bet the Capitol's getting a big kick out of us," Gale says bitterly.

Tayla. I wonder where she is, how's she's doing. I didn't hear a cannon to signify a death after the one for the District 4 boy so she must still be alive. Wherever she is.

"Well, hey, the night isn't over yet. There's still time for us to be, oh I don't know, attacked by a pack of wild lions or something like that," I say.

"Don't give them any ideas," says Gale.

"Well, I'm not tired," I say. "What do you say we go find a source of water?"

"Sure thing," says Gale.

So we set off at a slow jog, searching for water. These night-vision glasses are really coming in handy. We'd have been dead without them by now. The sun has just risen when we come to a small pond.

"Thank goodness," I say. We pour water into our respective canteens, purify it, and drink greedily. After doing this, I say, "I'm going to find us some more edible roots. We only have a loaf of bread, a few plants, a pack of nuts, and a bag of dried fruit left to eat."

Gale says, "On that note, I'm going off to hunt. Yell if you run into any trouble."

The other part of our deal is not to stray too far from the base, in this case, the pond. So I stay relatively close, and in no time, have found a bunch of edible plants. I bring them back to the pond. Before long, Gale has returned with a nice fat rabbit. We build another very, very, small fire, and cook it. We eat the rabbit, and split the loaf of bread in half. We save the roots for later.

We our meal is done, I say, "I don't know about you, but I'm ready to drop. Can I sleep first while you take first watch?"

"Sure" Gale says."

So I lie down around the pond. It's about early morning right now. Nothing like a sleeping schedule reversal right? So that's how the day progresses. Me and Gale alternate our sleeping with two hour watch shifts. And everything passed uneventfully until on my watch, just before nightfall, when I hear a rustling in the nearby trees.

I immediately wake up Gale. "Gale!" I hiss. "I heard something!"

Gale gets up grabs his bow. He turns in a circle, slowly, checking out the woods. "Prim, I think you just imagined it. Why don't you just go back to sl—"

His words are cut off as a boy lunges out of the woods, a pack on his back, a knife in his hand. He aims at me with the knife. I very nearly let out a scream at the sheer suddenness of the whole thing, but just manage to hold it in. He's just about to let the knife fly at me when suddenly he drops to the ground, face down. An arrow is in his forehead.

The cannon sounds. Though, I can't help feeling sad. This boy had no choice. The Capitol forced this fate upon him. Somewhere, his family is crying right now. Calling for Gale's death.

Gale. I turn to him and say, "Thanks. We're even now. I saved your life back at the Cornucopia, and you saved mine right here."

Gale must have caught my somber mood and says, "Hey, Prim. It was either us or him. I think you'd rather live, right?"

I just give a jerk of the head.

Anyway, Gale is now checking his pack for supplies. All the boy had was two packs of crackers. His pack will be of great use, though. We divide up our supplies. A pack each, a sleeping bag each, a canteen each, a pair of night-vision glasses each, a pack of crackers each. I take the bag of fruit, and half the roots, and Gale takes the pack of nuts and half of the roots. He keeps the bow and arrows, and takes two of the three knives. With all of these supplies, I almost feel like a Career…

He hands the other knife to me and says, "Here, take it. I know you don't know how to use it, but you just might have to. Let's hope you don't, though."

I certainly agree with that.

By this time, night has fallen. The anthem plays. There are two faces to show in the sky. The District 4 boy, and the boy who just attacked us. Apparently, he was from District 5. Eight left to play now. Two thirds of all tributes dead.

I mentally run through the list of those who are left. The two Career girls from 1 and 4. Castor. The boy from 8 who scored a nine. The girl from 10. Tayla. And me and Gale. Only eight.

So I turn to Gale and I say, "So Gale, you think you can make it up a tree for the night now?"

He keeps staring out away from me and says, "Yeah, I think so." He faces me. "Let's—"

He stops talking. His eyes are focused on something behind me. His face wears a shocked expression. So I turn around to see what the problem is.

And there, standing in front of me, is Katniss.


	8. Reunion

**As usual, thanks to all who have reviewed so far. Reviews really make my day and make me feel like somebody actually reads these things. So, without further ado, here is chapter eight. Review! Please!**

"Katniss!" I exclaim.

I run to her, and throw my arms around her. "What in the world are you doing here?!"

She doesn't respond.

"Um…Katniss?" I ask. I unfurl myself from her and take one step back.

Her eyes gleam a scarlet red as she stares at me. "Katniss…you're really freaking me out," I say.

From behind me I hear Gale's level voice say, "Prim. Move away from her."

I turn my back to Katniss for a second and say to him, "But Gale, --"

My words are cut off as Katniss' hand close around my throat from behind. She's choking me! What? Why? I manage to gasp out, "Gale….help….me."

And then the pressure is released as Katniss falls to the ground, dead, with an arrow in her forehead. I can't believe it. I'm angry and sad and confused and I might have done something rash but Gale stops me before I can.

"Prim, that wasn't Katniss," he says.

"It wasn't?" I ask.

"No," he says. He walks over to Katniss, pulls out his arrow and says, "Look. See behind the skin? It's all wires and electronics. Something about her eyes…gave it away. That was a robot from the Capitol, Prim."

I lose it. "Why would anyone ever DO that to me? To us? Why-"

"Shhhh, Prim. It's going to be ok," he says as he puts a comforting hand on my shoulder.

I look at him and say, "How did you know that that was definatly a robot, Gale?"

He looks at me with a pained expression and replies, "I didn't."

So when Gale swore to the real Katniss that he would keep me safe…he meant from anyone. Even from her, I think to myself.

Without a further word we climb up a nearby tree, we each pick sturdy forks about thirty feet high in the air, crawl into our sleeping bags, and drop off into sleep.

We wake up the next morning and have a breakfast of roots and greens. Neither one of us mention what happened last night. But I can't stop thinking about it. How sick does someone have to be to pull a trick like that on somebody? All we are is just some mindless entertainment to the twisted people who live in the Capitol. I wonder how the real Katniss took that whole episode as she was watching…

So after we eat and pack everything up, we start moving. By some unspoken agreement, we are not going to separate today to find food and to hunt. We are going to do everything together.

We'd been walking twenty minutes when we saw a figure lying prone on the ground, in the middle of a clearing in the forest. As we got closer I could make out the face…

It's Tayla.

I keep my head and don't scream. At least too loudly. "Tayla!" I let out.

She weakly turns her head to the side. "Hey Prim," she whispers.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here? Why are you…is that blood?!" I say.

From next to me, Gale says, "Prim, step back." He pulls his bow and loads an arrow.

I knock it away. "No! You're not going to kill her. You'll have to kill me first!" I exclaim.

"Why, Prim? She betrayed us. She set the Careers on us. We just barely got away! And now you want to help her?"

I turn back to Tayla, suddenly sobered. "Why did you do it, Tayla?" I ask.

She looks at me with those feverish eyes of hers and says, "I had to. They were going to kill me if I didn't lead them to Mr. Eleven here. And I needed you to do it so that's why I saved you…"

"I don't believe you," I say. "I know you're nicer than that. You didn't save me just because you needed me, you saved me because _you didn't want me to die._"

She laughs weakly and says, "It didn't matter in the end. After I told them where you were, they cut me up and left me for dead. But somehow, I made it back to that cave. You had taken my supplies, but not my pack, and you had forgot something. Your first aid kit."

Oh my. She's right. We did forget the kit that had saved Gale's life back at the Cornucopia…

Tayla continues, "So I used that to patch myself up. I would've died without it. And you showed me some of the edible greens around here so I've been living…or I should say…starving…around here ever since…until you both showed up."

Gale says, "So…what are we going to do?"

I had almost forgotten he was there. "It's obvious, Gale, we're going to help her."

He looks at me and says softly, "I'm sorry, Prim, but I can't let you do that." And with that, he hoists me over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and starts running back into the forest.

I'm not strong enough to try and resist. So I just stare. The last thing I see before the trees block my view is Tayla's heartbroken face gazing longingly back at me…

"Gale! What are you doing! Put me down!" I scream. I didn't care who found us. All I cared about was the dying girl back in the clearing. I can't even explain why. She betrayed us. But that one day…I felt I connected with a true friend, a true…sister almost. I couldn't just leave her to die.

But Gale doesn't stop for about twenty minutes. He sets me down and says, "Prim, she betrayed us. What's to say she wouldn't have done it again?"

"I don't care! I don't care what you say! I don't need you! I'm going back to help her, and she can be my partner! Not you!" I yell at him. Maybe I'm not thinking clearly, but I'm sad and ticked at the same time.

"Fine!" he says. "Fine! Go back to her! See how long you last! I'm only trying to protect you, Prim! But if you don't want my help, then so be it!"

I turn away from him and run back in the direction we came from. I make double time, and in about ten minutes I am back at the clearing.

Only, there is no Tayla there. She must have left! Then my situation hits me.

I am in the deadliest arena, in the most dangerous spot that I have ever been in in my entire life. And I'm in it with no ally. I'm alone.


	9. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**So I'm sorry for the false hope that you may have gotten when you saw that there was a new chapter...but it's only an author's note. Sorry. There's just a few things I wanted to say:**

**1. First off, thanks to my reviewers: AJLL, hungergamesfan51, wesley, rainchecker, VCullen12, EclipseoftheHeart1, ObsessiveCullenFan, Santastic, EminaStOrYtime, Sev Potter, Jane, Megan, x-FruitySkittles-x, Rainstorm-Mosspath, JENNABONSFANALIA, Shelby Cobra, and the veggo. I really appreciate the reviews, thanks again!**

**2. Over 800 hits so far! Yay!**

**3. I've also written The Boy With The Bread, Sharp As A Knife, and From The Other Side. **

**4. Lastly, and really the reason why I wrote this note. I just want to say that if you have any suggestions or requests of where the story should go from here, let me know. After all, I added in the character of Tayla off of a request. So there's that, and also, one thing I'm curious about, is the pace too slow? I'd really appreciate if you could just let me know about that, and feel free to make any suggestions/requests at all. **

**Thanks for reading! I hope to have a new chapter up pretty soon!**


	10. Second Chance

**Thanks to hungergamesfan51, x-FruitySkittles-x, wesley, and Jane for reviewing the last chapter. Just a quick little update here. Almost halfway to 100 reviews, please keep 'em coming! Well, here we go! Read and review!**

I immediately regret my decision to leave Gale. How dumb could I possibly be? I won't be able to survive on my own out here. I can't even defend myself. So I need to find Gale…or even Tayla. I'm just about to start heading back the way that I came when a silver parachute floats down in front of me.

A gift from a sponsor! I quickly tear into the basket, but I only find a bracelet. It's slowly changing color, becoming a lighter hue by the second. I notice there are instructions attached that say, "Tracer bracelets. The closer you are to the other bracelet of the pair, the darker the bracelet will become." And then I noticed something hastily scrawled on the note near the bottom, "Love you, Prim."

So Katniss hasn't forgotten about me. She's sending me and Gale a way to find each other. I definitely will owe her one when I…_if_ I get out of here. I just wonder how much trouble she got in for writing that last part on the note…

So the closer I am to Gale, the darker the bracelet will be. With that in mind, I start to set off back the way I came. I notice the bracelet is already turning darker.

Before I start running though, I hear a birdcall ring out. Was that an actual bird…or a human? I think about it as I begin to jog along.

I'm just running along when I'm suddenly caught in the left arm by a branch of thorns. I swear, the thing just appeared out of nowhere! There is a pretty deep gash on my arm now, and I have no way to staunch the bleeding. I curse silently. What a stupid way to become seriously hurt! I've got to be more carful in the future…if I have a future. However, the next clearing I come into rewards me with a sight of a tribute.

It's Tayla! She looks at me and goes, "Oh my! Prim! You're hurt! Come here and I'll patch you up with the first aid kit."

I do as she says and while she's working on me I say, "Sorry about before. Gale isn't exactly the most trusting person in the world. But I guess who can blame him, since we're in the Hunger Games."

She doesn't respond to this right away, but says, "There! All done! Here, put the rest of the first aid supplies in your pack. And try to be more careful; carelessness can get you killed out here."

I open my mouth to respond but whatever I was going to say is cut off as someone grabs me from behind and holds me tightly. Appearing seemingly out of nowhere in front of me are the District 1 girl and Castor. So I guess the District 4 girl is holding me.

How could they have found us? I manage to get out, "How?"

Castor just laughs and goes, "Nice work, Tayla."

"Thank you," Tayla says evilly. Her face is hard set, but I see a strange softness in her eyes as she says this.

What! Castor answers my unspoken question by next saying, "She was working for us the entire time. The whole 'cut me up and left me to die' thing was an act. And it worked! A birdcall was the signal that you were in the general area. And now you're going to be the bait for your District 12 friend, the one who scored the eleven. How does it feel to know that you'll be the one who causes his death?"

So she's done it again. She's betrayed me again. People deserve second chances, but she just blew hers. But I don't understand…why fix me up with the first aid kit only to allow me to be taken captive by the Careers? Is there good in her after all? I don't know what to think anymore.

But then I think of Gale. I look down at my bracelet, and note that it's a very dark shade! Gale will soon be here, and run headlong into this little ambush here. I have to do something!

But I don't get the chance, as two figures burst of the woods and charge at us. I recognize them as two contestants from last year, Cato and Thresh. They are both wielding swords.

I know that they are not real, that they are robots from the Capitol. But from the looks of it, Castor and Tayla don't know that. They stand there in a frozen moment, before pulling themselves together. Recognizing the harmful intent of the newcomers, Castor steps forward and begins to spar with his brother. The sounds of metal on metal clash through the noraml forest noises as Tayla simply pulls a knife and sends it flying into Thresh's head. Nice way to treat your siblings, right?

But what this little skirmish has done is distract my captor, the District 4 girl. As I feel her hold on me slacken just a little bit, I break free and take off running away from there. Just before I enter the woods again, I see Cato go down with a sword in his stomach, sparks spewing everywhere, and Castor saying, "After her!"

I'm fast. But they're no sloths either. Tayla especially is gaining on me. Only one thing to do. I pick a tree and start climbing. By the time they reach me, I'm about twenty feet in the air. Well, now I know how Katniss felt last year, up in a tree, surrounded by Careers. I don't see a tracker jacker nest to save me now though. From below, the District 1 girl says, "Well, how are we going to get her now?"

Castor says, "I've got a plan." He pulls out an axe. An axe? That's definantly not the most common weapon to see in the Games. "We'll cut the tree down," he says. "Just let me do something first."

And without warning, he swings the axe into the neck of the District 4 girl who is standing right next to him. Her head comes off and flies into the air before coming to rest on the ground, facing up, an expression of shock and betrayal frozen on her face forever. The cannon fires. I gasp in horror at what has just happened; it's just so sudden and unexpected. Castor just looks at the headless, bloody body and says, "That's for letting her go, you idiot."

The District 1 girl snickers. "Nice one, Castor."

"Why thank you, Sparkla," Castor replies.

Even in the midst of my predicament, I still feel the urge to laugh. Sparkla? Who calls their kid…Sparkla? Typical District 1 and their dumb names.

Castor begins to cut the tree at the base with the axe, but is quickly stopped by Tayla. "Leave her," she says.

Castor looks at her like she has suddenly grown two heads and asks, "Why?"

Tayla points at something far off that I can't see through the branches of my tree. "That's why. We must be gone from here now, or we will perish. Leave her here to die."

Whatever Tayla was pointing to, it must have convinced them of the need for flight because they take off. I climb quickly down the tree, thinking, what new danger has reared its ugly head now? I hit the ground; turn to the direction that Tayla had indicated, and gasp.

It would be hard to miss the tsunami of raging water descending upon me.

**Credit to hungergamesfan51 for the robots idea in this chapter and the past few.**

**By the way, I just wrote a new story called The Hunger Games Premiere, about the very first Hunger Games. If you like this story, you should check that one out as well!**


	11. High Ground

**Thanks to Wesley, Shelby Cobra, hungergamesfan51, AJLL, Santastic, VCullen 12, x-FruitySkittles-X, and sw448 for reviewing since the last update. Here's chapter 10, please, please, review!**

I cry out in horror. What is up with the Gamemakers? Why me all the time? Why me?

I start sprinting in the opposite direction from the oncoming tsunami. I think that the Careers might know something I don't. It might be wise to follow their tracks. So I look down to see the path that they took.

It's not hard to tell. The grass is trampled, branches snapped. And then after a short period of sprinting and following the path that they bushwhacked already, I burst out of the trees and it all makes sense to me.

Because in front of me, is the mountain. The very same mountain that I almost got buried under by the avalanche. The only mountain in the arena. It's the perfect place to herd us all together. Perfect way to guarantee some kills. We all need to get to high ground, right? Way to go Gamemakers, I think sarcastically.

As I near the mountain, the wall of water ever present behind me, I note that there are paths leading up the mountain on all sides. I have no way of knowing which path the Careers took, so I pick a random one, and start running up it. I don't stop until I reach a fairly level plateau of rock. I stop there, panting, out of breath, and turn around to check out the water level.

The water level is about a third of the way up the mountain. Right now, I'm probably halfway up.

So, we're stuck up here, all seven of us. Because I'm sure that the others have made it up here. I didn't hear a cannon. So we're stuck here, with no way to get off until the waters recede. I am reminded of an ancient history story, about a man named Noah and a flood that ended the world. I only hope that this flood won't last for forty days and forty nights.

Then another thought hits me. Gale! This is the perfect time to find him. I check my bracelet. It's practically black! He must be close! Then I see a body lying back down where the water is high on the path that I just took.

I gasp and run back down the rocky path to the body. My worst fears are confirmed when I see that it's Gale.

"No, no, no, no, no…" these sounds escape my lips out of concern and worry for Gale.

He's unconscious. Not moving. Not breathing. But he's not dead, or I would've heard a cannon. I stand there, panicking and curious at the same time, wondering what to do, how to help. Then I realize what I must do.

I kneel down next to him, and start to administer rescue breathing and chest compressions. It must have been the water. He very nearly drowned, and by some miracle, floated up here on the mountain. He still may die yet, if his lungs don't start to circulate air through his body.

I'm a pretty talented healer, I used to help out my mother, but this…this depends pretty much on luck. I can't do much more than rescue breaths and chest compressions. All else I can do is hope. Hope that Gale survives.

And then he sits up, sputtering and coughing up water. I sigh in relief and say, "Easy, easy. You're going to be ok, Gale."

He looks at me with crazed, uncomprehending eyes, and says, "Prim? How did you…how are you…you saved me?"

"Yeah," I reply. Then I try to make a joke out of it. "You owe me one now, Gale."

Just then, we hear pounding footsteps heading towards us. I dive behind some large boulders near the path, and motion for Gale to follow. He does so, very lethargically, with slow, stumbling steps. As soon as we are both behind cover, we see them.

First to appear is the District 10 girl. She's a tribute that I haven't encountered yet. She cries out in horror when she sees the water at the end of the path. She turns around and makes ready to run back up, but she doesn't get the chance, as a knife is sticking out of her skull. She falls to the ground, dead, as the cannon for her fires.

Walking casually down the path are the three Careers: Castor, Sparkla, and Tayla. If you count Tayla as a Career, that is. Sparkla retrieves her knife and says cruelly, "Why would she run here? How stupid! Look at that water; it's a dead end. With an emphasis on the dead."

I scarcely dare to breathe. If they find Gale and me right now, we stand no chance, not with him being all weak from the flood and all. And me, what good am I in a fight? But with a last look at the girl's body, all three of them walk away.

Gale and I stay behind those rocks for a while, to make sure that they are actually gone. While we are behind those rocks, nightfall comes upon us, and the anthem plays. Shown in the sky is the District 4 girl whom Castor beheaded earlier, and the District 10 girl that was just killed.

So there's only six left in this arena. Me, Gale, Tayla, Sparkla, Castor, and the District 8 boy who I have yet to encounter. Though maybe I will in the near future, seeing as we are all trapped on top of this mountain. Thanks to the Gamemakers.

But it's time to make amends. I say to Gale, "Gale…I'm sorry for running off on my own. You were right. About everything. I'm sorry."

He says with a concerned look, "It's ok." He tries to put some levity into his voice. "Just promise you won't do it again."

"I promise," I reply.

He gets up. "I think it's time we found some drinkable water, what do you say?"

"Do you think they there's any up here?" I ask.

"Of course there is. They wouldn't want us to die of thirst. Where is the entertainment in that?" he asks bitterly.

"So let's go find some," I say.

So we set off along the path. We take great care and keep a careful watch out for the Careers, but there's no sign of them. We also need to find a place to stay for the night. Before long, we come to a cave. We both help camouflage the opening, and then go inside. But we still need water.

I pull out my canteen, which is full of water. "Here," I say. "We'll both drink from this for now, and then tomorrow, we'll search for a water source."

We each drink about half of the canteen, until it is bone dry. I turn to Gale. "You still have your supplies, right?"

He gives a sheepish smile. "Uh…I kind of lost my pack in the flood. The only thing I was able to hold on to were the bow and arrows and the night-vision glasses."

"That was our only water that we just drank then!" I exclaim. Not good. I remember seeing Katniss last year when she couldn't find water. She very nearly died.

"Prim, calm down," he says. "We'll find some tomorrow. Too bad that flood water surrounding the mountain is all salt-water."

"How do you know?" I ask.

He gives me a look. "Um…because I swallowed a little too much of it and you had to revive me?"

"Oh, right," I say. Then I spot something amiss. "Hey, Gale, where's your bracelet?"

He just looks confused. "What bracelet?"

"You know, the bracelet Katniss each sent us to help us find each other when we were…separated. The tracer bracelets, you know."

"No, I don't know," he says.

So I ask the question that's on both of our minds, "So…if you didn't get the other bracelet of the pair…then who did?"

He doesn't answer. Then I look down at the bracelet on my arm.

It is the darkest shade possible. Which means that whoever has the other bracelet must be right outside our cave.

**You know I just can't resist leaving you with the cliffhangers...don't hate me please.**


	12. The Real One

**Thanks to Rainstorm-Mosspath, Wesley, Santastic, VCullen12, hungergamesfan51, AJLL, and ObsessieCullenFan for reviewing the last chapter. **

**I'm going away for spring break pretty soon; this will be the last update on a story of mine for now. So, here's chapter 12. Read and review!**

Before we can move a muscle, this is what Gale and I hear:

"Greetings to the final six contestants of the Seventy Fifth Hunger Games. There has been a rule change. Under the new rule, a mentor from each District will be joining their tributes in the arena as contestants. Needless to say, two winners from a District are now accepted as a result of this rule. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor," booms the voice of Claudius Templesmith. He repeats this, like he knows we're not getting it, and then falls silent.

I nearly faint in shock. Katniss is coming. Peeta definitely won't; he's too scared of the Games. So it will be Katniss for sure.

Then I remember the person outside the cave.

"Show yourself!" exclaims Gale to the mystery person.

The person steps into our view from the inside of the cave and says, "Prim? Gale?"

"Katniss!" I cry. I rush forward into her arms, and start crying in joy and fear. Joy that she's here, and fear that she will now die.

She's holding me and saying, "Shhh. Shhh. It's going to be ok."

"But…but now you're in the same danger as we are…." I trail off.

"We'll get through it. I promise," she replies. I can see she's fighting to keep a steady and strong voice, but I don't comment on it.

Then it's Gale's turn. He steps past me and holds Katniss more gently than I did, more soothingly. I bet Peeta's getting livid up there from wherever he's watching. Then finally Gale says, "Katniss, how did you come to be here?"

"It's a long story," my sister says. "Let's get back inside, and I'll tell you both."

We go deeper into the cave, settle on the floor, and then Gale says, "So, Catnip. What's the deal?"

She motions for us to lean closer together, and then begins to whisper into our ears, "Ok. Number one, when us mentors got wind of the coming new rule, we all sent these tracer bracelets to our tributes."

"So it was you the whole time?" I ask.

"No, I wasn't in the arena just yet. Because I wasn't, I programmed your bracelet to act as a tracer to Gale, while the one I was wearing helped me find you. Now that I've here, yours will act as a tracer to me," Katniss answers.

"But Catnip," Gale says. "_Why_ are you here? Why did they make the new rule?"

My sister sighs. "It's because….it's because of the rebellion. The rebellion against the Capitol. It's starting, you know. The people see that it is time to end the Capitol's reign of terror."

"But what does this have to do with you?" I question naively.

Katniss just looks at me and says, "It's because the rebels view me and Peeta as inspiration for our stunt last year. Our action was the whole starting force for the rebellion. And the Capitol figures, cut off the head, and the body will die. So here I am."

"What about the other mentors? Why are they here" Gale asks.

Katniss looks sadder than ever. "Collateral damage," she says. "The Capitol can't only throw me into the arena, that'd be too overt. So they threw a mentor from each District in. Just another example of their wanton cruetly, and it sends a message. I've condemned them to a probable death because of my actions. It's my fault."

"Don't be stupid," says Gale. "None of this is your fault. It's the Capitol's fault for doing this. Nothing is ever your fault or my fault or Prim's fault. It's all because of the Capitol. And that's why you and Prim are going to get out of here, and you two are going to spearhead the rebellion. Promise me that."

"Don't talk like that, Gale," I say. "I don't want you to do some stupid noble sacrifice for me. You deserve to live just as much as I do." And I mean it. My time in the arena has made me stronger. And I couldn't bear if Gale were to die instead of me.

"Whatever, Prim," he says. Then he turns to Katniss and says almost jokingly, "You sure you're the real Katniss? I'm sure you saw the whole robots thing that they had going on in here."

"That was awful," my sister says. "This whole arena is awful. But we have to make the best of it."

"How did you get in here anyway?" I ask of my sister.

"The Gamemakers devised a special sort of parachute that would take more weight. So I got here the same way as your sponsor gifts: from the air," she replies.

"See any water from your bird's eye view?" asks Gale. "We're kind of out of it."

"Yes, there's a sort of oasis about a half mile away from here. We'll go find it in the morning," says Katniss.

Just then we hear a cannon. I feel my usual pang of sadness as when I learn of a death, but it goes away quicker than usual. I'm not sure if I like the new person I'm becoming, one who is growing more accustomed to death. That's not at all who I want to be.

Anyway, Gale goes, "Who do you think that was? A mentor or a tribute?"

Katniss says, "Well we're all tributes now…I don't know. I just know, there are now ten people in this arena including us."

Gale then says, "Katniss here." He hands her the bow and arrows. "Take this; you're better with them than I am. I'll keep two knives, and Prim has one. You didn't happen to bring any supplies with you?"

"No," Katniss says. "They wouldn't let us carry any."

"Well then," Gale says. "You two share Prim's sleeping bag; you'll both easily fit. If you'll give me both of your jackets, I'll be fine. And by the way, I'll take first watch tonight."

"You're sure?" asks Katniss.

"I'm sure," says Gale. "Now you two get sleep. I'll wake one of you up when it's your turn."

I find it hard to get to sleep. I mean, my sister, the sister who was supposed to be safe, the sister who has been through this experience once already, is dozing an inch away from me. That's enough to make anyone anxious.

But I feel ashamed to admit it….I'm almost relieved. Relieved that I have another strong ally on my team. I can almost sit back and let Katniss and Gale take care of things now…then I black out into slumber.

When it is time to rise in the morning, we gather up our things, and follow the directions of Katniss to this sort of mountain oasis that she had spotted. When we reach it, we all drink our fill using the one canteen that we have. It makes matters slow, but we deal with it. We then head back to the cave to eat some breakfast.

I open the bag of dried fruit that I have held on to for all of this time, and pass some around. As we continue to drink and eat, Gale motions for us to come closer together so we can speak without the recording cameras hearing us.

Gale then asks Katniss, "So. How did it work? You were forced by the Capitol to be here, I understand that. But what about Peeta? I mean, he was part of that whole stunt last year too. Why isn't he here?"

"It's very simple," Katniss replies. "It's because Peeta working for the Capitol's side."

**A shorter chapter with no fighting/action...please don't be mad.**

**I've got a vague idea in my head for a sequel to this story, more details to follow on that. I'm planning two more chapters of this story before the sequel.**

**Reviews are what keep me writing, so please drop a comment.**

**And because I really want people to read this story, check out and review The Hunger Games Premiere, now with four chapters. **


	13. Fatal Alliance

**Wow, 18 reviews since the last update! Thanks so much, everyone! Here's chapter 13! Only one more chapter after this one!**

"He's what?" I ask in disbelief.

Katniss leans so close that she's practically sitting on my lap, I guess just to make doubly sure we're not overheard by the ever-present cameras. "He's undercover. He's going to try and feed information to the rebels on the outside. How it worked was, the Capitol gave us a choice: join or die. Well, he chose the first one…and I ended up here."

Wow. If Peeta had really gone over to the Capitol for real…that would been awful.

Gale then says, "So, ladies, what's on the agenda for today?" I can see he's trying to simply brush off the news about Peeta. I guess those two will be locked in a romantic struggle over the affections of my sister forever…

Katniss answers him, "Well, we should gather up some food. Then-"She breaks off suddenly. "Did you hear that?"

We fall silent for a moment. During this moment, the three of us become aware of a crunching sound outside of the cave, as if someone was walking on the loose rock and gravel. And that someone is heading towards our cave.

With hand motions, Katniss signals to us about where to go inside of the cave. She and Gale take up positions on either side of the cave entrance, their weapons in hand. I go to the very back of the cave, and stay hidden as much as I can. My knife is out as well, but I hope that I won't have to actually use it…

The approaching silhouette has just entered the cave when it is grabbed by both Katniss and Gale. Gale gets a good look at the face of this mystery person and bursts out with, "You!"

Tayla answers, "Yes, it's me."

I rush forward. "Tayla, what are you doing here?"

Tayla looks so sad and forlorn as she says, "They tried to kill me. After my mentor, Siry, joined me, he vehemently expressed his displeasure that I had joined with the Careers. They killed him for that, and then they tried to kill me. I just barely got away…"

So that was the cannon that we heard late last night. However, this time at the learning of a death, I don't become as teary-eyed and emotional as before. I realize that I'm changing…for better or worse.

It's obvious that my sister is confused as she says in a puzzled tone, "Wait…who exactly are you again?"

"She's a traitor!" exclaims Gale.

"No, I'm not a traitor!" answers Tayla with passion. "I was only trying to help in everything that I did. I admit, sometimes I was selfish. But now, I'm ready to shed the façade. I'm ready to simply become…me. Tayla."

"But how can we trust you again?" Gale puts the question to Tayla.

Tayla looks directly at Katniss and says softly, "I'm from District 11. Thresh Lysiri…he was my brother."

Katniss looks away and doesn't speak for a long moment. Finally, she replies, "Tayla…I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for your brother. He had me in his grasp last year, and then he let me go. But, I think you know that already. I never got the chance to repay him. So, by accepting you into our group, maybe we can erase that year-old debt between the Everdeen and the Lysiri families. "

Gale evidently disagrees. "Catnip, do you honestly believe that she will be loyal to us?"

My sister answers him, "A sister to Thresh is a second sister to me. I trust her with my life."

Tayla breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Katniss Everdeen. I won't let you down."

"Good," says my sister. "Now, let's all go and gather up some food."

Katniss and Gale lead the way out of the cave, followed by Tayla and myself. Tayla turns to me. "So, Prim, how've you been holding up?"

"Pretty well," I say. "How-"

My words are cut off as someone grabs me from behind, and starts choking me. I couldn't scream even if I wanted to, because of the pressure on my windpipe. Beside me, I am aware of the fact that Tayla is also under attack by someone. But who?

Katniss and Gale, hearing the sounds of a scuffle, turn around sharply. "Oh no," breathes my sister. She pulls out her bow. "Let her go, or I'll shoot!"

I feel an unfamiliar voice behind me say, "Come on now. We both know you stand too much of a risk of hitting your dear sweet sister instead with that arrow. Nice try, District 12."

So judging from the fact that I don't recognize this voice, it must be one of the contestants from District 8. I bet Tayla is under duress from the other person of the pair.

It's a stalemate. But Gale breaks the faceoff when throwing all caution to the winds; he charges forward, his two knives at the ready. "Let her go, you bastard!" he yells.

And my captor does. In fact, both Tayla and I are released. My assailant picks me up, lifts me over his head, and bodily throws me into a pile of sharp rocks. I cry out in pain, as the shards cut deep into my flesh. I'm not able to do much more than lie there, and take in the developing scene before me:

Gale is facing off with a monstrosity of a man, his two knives against this man's sword. Tayla is also fighting, using her knife against a lean teenager's long spear. So I guess the District 8 mentor had been holding me, while the tribute had grabbed Tayla.

Katniss is a distance away, trying to get a clear shot with her bow and arrows. But she can't, for fear of hitting either Gale or Tayla.

Tayla is not doing well in her individual duel. As I watch, the District 8 tribute dodges a swiping stab attempt from her knife, and then simply throws her away from him. Tayla falls to the ground in a daze. She's out of the fight for now.

I tense up. Gale is alone out there, against two opponents. But my unspoken fear is addressed when Gale suddenly ducks a vicious overhand slash from the District 8 mentor, and then stabs the mentor in the gut with a knife. Gale then follows it up with another knife to the upper chest. The mentor falls to the ground, dead, as the cannon fires.

However, Gale is now unprotected on his other side. The District 8 tribute seizes the opportunity to land a crippling blow to Gale's head. Gale slumps to the ground, unconscious.

"Gale!" cries my sister from her vantage point. She begins to run forward, abandoning all caution, her bow down at her side. "Gale, are you-"

The District 8 boy sees her approaching, and smiles a smile of glee. He takes careful aim with his spear, points it at my sister, and lets it fly.

Time slows down. I'm aware of somebody screaming in uncomprehending horror. That someone might be me. That someone does not want to see the death of the person that they care for the most. The person who has provided for me my entire life. My only sister.

So I watch; my brain completely numb with fear and anxiety. And this is what I see:

I see the spear leaving the hand of the District 8 boy. I see his grin, the grin of one who has just made a textbook kill and revels in it. I see my sister stop short out of reflex, and her mouth form an 'O' in surprise and terror. I see the spear traveling ever closer to her, on its unchanging path of death. And then I see someone throwing themself in front of the spear, and that someone crumpling to the ground.

Katniss snaps herself out of her frozen spell, and sends an arrow flying at the District 8 boy. The boy, who had been so sure of his intended kill, has no time to get out of the way. As he falls to the ground with an arrow in his skull, the cannon for him sounds.

But I'm more concerned with the person who has the spear in their body, the person who took the spear for Katniss. The person who sacrificed themself for her. It's enough to rouse me from my pile of rocks, and ignoring the pain, I dash over to where this person is lying in an ever-growing pool of blood.

Like I'm a small child again, I whisper to Tayla, "Don't go."

"Prim…I won't ever go," she whispers back softly. "I'll always...be with you."

Katniss joins me in leaning over Tayla and says in a low tone, "Tayla…" She trails off, leaving her question unsaid.

But Tayla knows exactly what my sister was going to ask. "Why?" Tayla gasps out. "Because…because…you have so much more to return to than me. Because if you die…all hope in this world dies. The hope that one day, people might be freed from the Capitol's reign of tyranny. That can't be allowed to happen. Promise me, both of you…if you make it out of here…you'll do all you can to overthrow the Capitol…promise me…"

"I promise," both me and my sister say in unison. The tears start pouring freely from my eyes now. I can't help it, I just can't help it.

"Good," says Tayla weakly. "Then…goodbye, Katniss Everdeen. Farewell…Prim." Her eyes flutter shut, and her body becomes still, as the cannon for her fires.

I sink down, a steady deluge of tears coming forth from my eyes now. This girl was an enigma to me. Saving my life, betraying me, helping me, betraying me again…she was a constant puzzle. But I knew, deep inside, she had good in her. And I was right. But I never imagined that she would prove her true nature in an event quite like this…

Without saying a word, Katniss touches the three middle fingers of her left hand to her lips, and then holds it out to Tayla. I follow her lead and do the same. Then, as we walk silently over to Gale, who is still lying on the ground unconscious, this is what we hear booming down from the sky:

"Greetings to the final seven contestants of the Seventy Fifth Hunger Games. On the very top of this mountain, there is a large plain, a flat plateau. A second Cornucopia horn has been placed in the center of the plain to mark the spot. There will be a feast held tomorrow at dawn at this spot."

Even in the midst of my grief, I wonder, a feast? What's the prize?

Claudius Templesmith continues, "At this feast…there is no prize. But attendance is mandatory. Because, the surrounding air outside of this plain will be sowed with a poisonous toxin at dawn. If you are not at the top of the mountain at dawn…you will most certainly die."

**I'm going to start asking the question here, even though we're not done with the story yet:**

**Would you like a sequel to this story? Please, please review!**


	14. Ending

**Wow, 18 reviews the last chapter, thanks so much, all! And over 100 reviews! Wow! So, we here go...the final chapter.**

**Oh, and please read my story The Hunger Games Premiere!**

At this point in my despair and grief, the latest announcement doesn't really have a profound effect on me. It's just one more setback that I take in stride. Just one more thing to deal with.

So I say to Katniss, "What do we do now?"

"We wake up Gale," she answers.

My sister takes out our water bottle and pours a little bit onto Gale's face. He wakes with a start and yells, "Look out! Attack!"

"Shhh, Gale," says my sister. "The fight is over. We won."

Gale gets up slowly, looking relieved at this information. Then he notices that someone is missing. "Where's Tayla?"

I cast my eyes to the ground, not trusting myself to pick up my head and address Gale. So Katniss breaks the tragic news to him for me. "She…didn't make it. She threw herself in front of a spear that was meant for me."

Gale doesn't answer for a long moment. Then he comes over to me and lays a hand on my shoulder. "I know how you felt about her Prim…I'm sorry. The best thing we can do now is to try and honor her memory by winning these Games. Right?"

But his words have the opposite effect of his reassuring intention. Because he has just reminded me that all three of us cannot win these Games…

Gale picks up on the fact that he was just made a huge blunder and quickly recovers. "So. Where to?"

Katniss replies, "There's a feast on top of the mountain at dawn. We're heading to that."

"But why do we _have_ to go to the feast?" asks Gale.

"Because the surrounding air outside of the plateau at the top of the mountain will become toxic at dawn," I say. "It's a mandatory feast."

Gale takes the news about the feast in stride, just as I did. It seems that when you push a person past their breaking point, nothing really fazes them any more. "Well then," he says briskly. "Let's get going."

And so we do. First, we stop at the water pool in order to drink as much water as we can now, and to fill up the one canteen that we have. As we drink, we also eat share the pack of crackers that I still have in my pack. After we finish the crackers, we begin to make our way up the mountain path.

I trudge along next to Katniss. "How far do you figure we have to go?"

"Well, we're about half-way up the mountain, so…quite a long way," says my sister.

Because it's late morning, we have almost a day to make the journey. So there's no need to hurry. As we walk up the mountain path, we stop frequently to take short breaks. But we are careful with the water supply. Because who knows when we will come across the next source of it?

And my thoughts can't help but be filled with nervousness at the coming feast. Which means the coming battle. But this battle will definitely not have a happy ending. Because only two can win…

The sun dips lower and lower on its pre-determined arc in the sky. Close to nightfall, I think I hear the sound of rushing water. "Anyone else hear that?" I ask.

Gale cocks his head. "Yes…it's coming from...that way." He points to our right.

We step off the path, and after a short walk, find a rapidly-moving stream. We guzzle the remaining water in the canteen, and then satisfy ourselves with water from the stream. As we drink, I pull out the last of my food supplies, some edible roots from so long ago, it seems. I can only imagine how long I've been in the arena…

As we partake of our meager meal, darkness comes and the anthem plays. In the sky are four faces: both from Districts 8 and 11. But I only have eyes for a certain someone. I stare sadly up at the sky and drink in every last detail of Tayla's face before it disappears from the world forever. The face that made the ultimate sacrifice for my sister…

I snap out of my spell. "We need to keep moving."

The other two nod assent. Gale hands his night-vision glasses to Katniss and says, "Here, take these. I'll just keep close behind you two on the way; I'll be fine."

"You're sure?" asks Katniss.

"I'm sure," says Gale.

So I don my pair of night glasses and with my sister and I in the front, we form a triangle as we continue to trudge up the seemingly never-ending mountain. I wonder how far up the Careers were when they heard this announcement, and how they are faring in their journey…

Close to dawn, we finally come to the top of the mountain. It's light enough now that Katniss and I can remove our night-vision glasses; so we do.

Katniss points. "There it is."

And it is there. The Cornucopia horn that marks the spot of the final feast. The final battle.

Right now, it's like the calm before the storm. We take out the water canteen and share every last drop amongst ourselves. While we are not too thirsty, I definately mind for something to eat...

I feel a brief flicker of hope. Maybe the Careers won't make it up the mountain in time. Maybe we will just be left alone up here, and we won't have to fight.

Wait…that would actually be worse…

But as it turns out, I don't even need to worry about that possibility. Because the Careers come into view on the opposition side of the plateau.

No sooner have they stepped onto the plateau when the air around the mountain becomes a light green color. The green air doesn't come near us; the top of the mountain is encased in some sort of invisible, impenetrable dome. But I doubt that this invisible dome won't actually stop a person from falling off the mountain...

But then I notice something odd about the Careers. I'm not complaining, but it's sure a surprise.

Gale notices it too. "How come there are only three of you?" he calls out to them.

Sparkla from 1 smiles. "My mentor had gotten a little out of shape since he had last won the Games," she says evilly. "So instead of being slowed down by him on the way up, we left him behind. The cannon should be firing any minute now."

The cannon picks the perfect time to fire. No more words between the two groups are exchanged. Because, really, what else is there to say?

Katniss whispers to Gale, "Gale, you take that cocky tribute and wipe that wide smile off his face." She means Castor, of course. "I'll try and keep that big hulk of a man off balance with my arrows." Meaning the District 2 mentor. "Prim…just try and evade that girl's attacks until either Gale or I can come and help you."

So that's the plan. Neither Gale nor I respond. We just want it to be over.

And without further ado, the show kicks off. The two from District 2 both pull out swords, and Sparkla unsheathes two knives. They start to advance slowly, warily, sizing us up.

Katniss was having none of that crap. She pulls out her bow and started to fire arrows at all three of them, but really mostly at the mentor. The Careers were all forced to split away form each other in order to dodge the deadly flurry, and that was the moment when Gale chose to attack.

His two knives at the ready, Gale stepped forward to engage Castor in combat. His hands were working furiously, the two knives moving in tandem to block the strong swipes of Castor's sword. They were going at it tooth and nails, that's for sure.

But I had to tear my attention away from them, because I had my own battle to fight. Or rather, to keep the opponent busy. Sparkla is coming on towards me and saying, "You ready to die, little girl?"

"The same goes for you," I retort.

She snarls and starts to slash at me with her knives. I do as my sister said. I play the cat-and-mouse game with her, and always stay just out of reach. I don't even use my one knife. My feet are constantly shuffling, always moving, never standing still. My only hope is to use my stamina and keep her expending so much energy that she becomes too tired to fight. Then, I'll make my move.

But all my well-thought out plans came to an end when in my fleet-footed dance, I stumble. I stumble! That tiny misstep is all Sparkla needs. She quickly covers the remaining distance between us with an animalistic charge, and slams into me. Hard. I fall to the ground, and she falls on top of me, holding one of her knives to my throat. My knife was knocked away when she tackled me.

This is it. I only hope that my sister and Gale win in their respective fights, because it sure looks like this one is over. Sparkla pants and says, "Any last words?"

I spit in her face.

Her lips curl in a nasty sneer. "Right, then. Goodbye, Primrose."

But suddenly, the pressure from my chest is released. Someone comes flying out of nowhere and tackles Sparkla. And with horror, I notice that we are quite close to the edge of the mountain here. And as I notice this, both Gale and Sparkla begin to topple over the edge of the mountain, because with the momentum of Gale's tackle, neither one of them can help it.

"Gale!" I scream. I rush to where they're both going over. "Gale, I'm coming!"

Both Gale and Sparkla start lashing out with their hands, their fight forgotten for the moment, trying to find any purchase on the rocky outcrop. Because if either one of them falls another foot…the noxious green cloud will be the end of them.

I reach Gale and grab his right hand with both of mine, and start pulling upwards which all my might. Which isn't much. I'm not doing anything. Gale yells out frantically, "Prim, pull harder! I'm going down!"

"I'm trying!" But I have to try harder. If Gale died like this, with me not being able to save him…I wouldn't ever be able to live with myself.

But as Sparkla is scrabbling for a handhold, she tries to grab onto Gale's foot. This is all Gale needs. Gale steps on Sparkla's head and uses her as a stepping-stone to try and climb up. With one final herculean effort by me, our combined efforts heave Gale up to where he lies, panting beside me.

And as I watch, Sparkla's face screws up in horror, as she plummets into the green abyss below. I can only wonder how she will die first. From the fall, or from the poison?

"What about Castor?" I ask Gale as we recover for a moment. The cannon for Sparkla fires after I say this.

He points to a body that has a knife sticking of its shoulder blade. "There he is."

And then I hear my sister's voice screaming frantically, "Hello! I could use some help over here! I just ran out of arrows!"

Both Gale and I whip around. Katniss is holding out her bow like some sort of a shield and getting into a crouching position. In front of her, the District 2 trainer is laughing and saying, "Come on now. Just give this charade up. You're hopeless without your precious bow and arrows."

And he's right. Because without her bow and arrows, my sister is basically defenseless.

"Maybe, so, Vikus," replies my sister. "But it's three on one. I like our odds."

Or maybe it's really two and a half on one, but who's counting?

Gale grabs my knife off of the ground from where I dropped it, and rushes forward. I follow closely, but without a weapon, what really I do?

Gale begins to tie up Vikus in combat. As he does, I see my sister sneaking around behind Vikus to where some arrows are lying on the ground. I need to make sure that Vikus doesn't notice until it's too late for him.

So I join the fight. I do the same as I did in my battle against Sparkla. I just stay out of range of Vikus' sword, and don't get too close. I just keep him occupied. Gale is the one who is taking all the risks, trying to get in close to Vikus in order to stab him.

And this is his undoing. As I watch, I see Vikus abruptly flip his blade around and use the hilt to smash Gale in the head. He falls to his knees, in terrible pain, the knife dropping from his hand.

Vikus raises his sword to make the killing blow. Then he notices something amiss. "Hey. Where's-"

His words are cut off as the arrow drives into his brain. He slumps to the ground, as the cannon fires.

Katniss rushes over to Gale. "Gale, are you all right?"

Gale brushes her away and stands up. "I'm fine," he says. Then the full weight of the situation here hits us.

Because the three of us are the last three left standing. And we all can't win.

And then one of us is not standing anymore. One of us topples to the ground with a knife in their neck.

I scream in horror. A feeling of white-hot rage seizes me, and I pick up the knife that Gale dropped, and dash over to where Castor is still lying on the ground. Only, the knife that was in his shoulder blade is not there anymore. It's embedded in my sister.

I bring the knife up over him. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD! I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL FOREVER!" And I stab downwards.

As my knife drives into his chest, the last thing he ever whispers is, "Cato, my brother. I have avenged you. I will be seeing you soon…"

His eyes glaze over and the cannon fires. And so I sprint back over to where Gale is cradling Katniss in his arms.

My sister smiles weakly when she sees me. "Prim," she says softly. "Prim, I'm so proud of you for making it this far…"

My tears join the fast-growing pool of her blood. "No, no, no…" Because this can't be happening. She was supposed to be the one person who couldn't die. She was supposed to be the one person who was safe…

"Prim, it's all up to you now. You have to be strong. You have to lead the rebels against the Capitol. They're all counting on you, Prim. Don't let them down…" How can she think so rationally when she knows that she only has maybe a minute left of life in this world?

"Catnip…" The unbelieving words escape Gale as his body is racked with sobs.

"Prim...Gale…I…love you both…" my sister gasps out weakly. She doesn't have much more time.

Gale and I look at each other for a moment. And in that instant, we know what to do.

We begin to sing. And while neither of us have a good singing voice, it doesn't really matter at that moment. All that matters is that someone is singing the words that we both know so well. The words that Katniss needs to hear right now:

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow  
A bed of grass, a soft green pillow  
Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes  
And when again they open, the sun will rise_

_Here it's safe, here it's warm  
Here the daisies guard you from every harm  
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true  
Here is the place where I love you_

_Deep in the meadow, hidden far away  
A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray  
Forget your woes and let your troubles lay  
And when again it's morning, they'll wash away_

_Here it's safe, here it's warm  
Here the daisies guard you from every harm  
Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true  
Here is the place where I love you _

The corners of my sister's mouth curl upwards in a last, brief smile. And as her eyes close for the final time, her cannon fires.

Gale and I just sit there, crying and holding each other. I don't hear the announcement of the two victors. I don't hear the victory trumpets. I don't hear the roar of the watching audience.

I'm locked in my own world now. I have killed in anger, in vengeance. And my sister has died. My savior, my protector, has passed on from this world.

I only know one thing.

An essential part of my being has died in these Hunger Games. And that part is never going to return.

**End Of Book One**

**PLEASE DON'T QUIT ON ME JUST BECAUSE I KILLED KATNISS! THERE'S A SEQUEL!**

**The sequel is titled In Her Honor, please go check it out and review! And please review this chapter!**

**Now you may be thinking, what the hell? She's the main character! But I'll say this: if there's no real danger, the story just becomes, "fe-fo-fum, they're fighting again, how long will it take for them to win..."**

**And is Katniss really gone? I'll say this: things are not always as they seem...**


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